Smart Home Subscription Audit 2026: Your House Has a Monthly Fee

Updated February 2026 • 9 min read

📊 The average smart home has 5-10 connected devices, each with optional (or required) subscriptions. Combined, they add $50-200/month to your bills — often without you realizing it.

Security Cameras: $4-15/month per camera

Ring Protect: $4/camera or $13/all cameras — required for ANY recording
Nest Aware: $8-15/month — for extended video history
Arlo Secure: $5-18/month — AI detection features locked behind subscription
SimpliSafe monitoring: $18-28/month

Subscription-free alternative: Eufy, Reolink, Amcrest — local storage cameras, $0/month. One-time purchase, full functionality.

Video Doorbells: $3-13/month

Ring Doorbell: Requires Ring Protect ($4/month) for video recording
Nest Doorbell: Free 3-hour history, Aware ($8/month) for extended
Arlo Doorbell: $3-5/month for cloud features

Subscription-free alternative: Eufy Video Doorbell ($150-200) — local storage, no monthly fee, still sends motion alerts.

Robot Vacuums: $0-35/month

iRobot Select: $29-35/month to RENT a Roomba
Roborock/Ecovacs: $0/month — buy once, own forever

Verdict: Never rent a robot vacuum. Buy a Roborock Q7 Max+ ($400-500) and save $1,000+ over 3 years vs iRobot Select.

Printers: $1.49-25/month

HP Instant Ink: $1.49-24.99/month — cartridges get DISABLED when you cancel
Brother/Canon/Epson (no subscription): Buy toner/ink, print as needed

Verdict: Switch to a Brother laser printer. $100 + $25 toner = 2,600 pages with no subscription and no DRM.

Smart Locks & Alarms: $3-30/month

August Smart Lock: Free basic, $5/month for auto-unlock and activity log
Yale Access: Free basic, $3/month for remote unlock history
SimpliSafe: $18-28/month for professional monitoring
ADT: $28-60/month for monitoring (plus contracts)

Savings tip: Self-monitoring with cameras + smart lock alerts handles 90% of security needs. Professional monitoring only adds value if you travel frequently or have high-value property.

The Subscription-Free Smart Home

💰 $0/month Smart Home Stack

Cameras: Eufy or Reolink (local storage)
Doorbell: Eufy Video Doorbell (local storage)
Robot vacuum: Roborock or Ecovacs (buy once)
Printer: Brother laser (own your toner)
Smart lock: Basic Schlage or Kwikset (no subscription needed for keypad)
Smart home hub: Home Assistant (free, open-source, runs locally)

Annual savings vs subscription equivalents: $600-2,400

Related Cancel Guides

🔍 Find every smart home subscription on your statement

Ring, Nest, SimpliSafe, iRobot, HP Ink, Arlo — JustCancel identifies every recurring charge automatically.